The June video developer diary on the Firefall Website offers the news that acclaimed sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card is contributing to this online team-based shooter, with Gamasutra highlighting his reasoning: "I got involved with the game Firefall because the guys from Red 5 invited me to," though he adds with a little more enthusiasm: "Since I think the game is a great one -- the story that they're developing is exciting -- I was delighted to be a part of it." Word is Card will collaborate with Red 5 on the game's story, and will also team with his daughter Emily Janice Card and artists at Udon Entertainment on a Firefall manga novel, which will be released as a free download later this year. On a related note, Gamasutra also reports Red 5 Studios is seeking to terminate its agreement with publisher Webzen over a breach in its marketing obligations. In an open letter, Red 5 CEO Mark Kern states:

As you may have heard, Red 5 Studios has filed for arbitration to confirm our right to terminate our agreement with Webzen and recover $5 million in North American marketing that we feel is due Red 5 under the agreement.

The crux of the matter is that the Webzen we see today is not the Webzen that Red 5 partnered with at the beginning of this project. The original executives are all gone, and new management has replaced them. Unfortunately, we do not feel the new management of Webzen has honored their obligations towards Firefall, particularly in Asia. The current management of Webzen is a stark contrast to the original CEO and executives who were once so excited to work with us on the game.